The Record: Saving Hinchilffe

PATERSON'S Hinchliffe Stadium, one of the last stadiums in America where Negro league baseball games were played before the major leagues were integrated in 1947, is a relic of the glorious park that it once was. Even so, it still stands, against the odds, and there's hope it can enjoy a resurgence.

The stadium's future became a little clearer last week during a subcommittee hearing in Washington, where a federal official with the Interior Department laid out a vision of having the Paterson school district maintain ownership of Hinchliffe even if the ballpark is added to the Great Falls National Historical Park. "We believe that the role of the National Park Service with respect to the stadium should be limited to providing interpretation, education and technical preservation assistance," said Stephanie Toothman, an associate director with the National Park Service.

The hope of bringing Hinchliffe, already designated as a national landmark, under the auspices of the Great Falls park project has been considered crucial to the ballpark's ultimate survival. Oval-shaped Hinchliffe, which opened in 1932, has played host to any number of sporting and entertainment events, from car races to boxing matches to Duke Ellington and his band.

But it is Hinchliffe's place in baseball history that makes the biggest case for its survival and renaissance. Paterson's famed Larry Doby had his tryout with the Newark Eagles there when he was just 17. More than 20 Hall of Famers played there, most of them at a time when they could not play in the majors because of their skin color.

As much as any existing structure in Paterson, Hinchliffe speaks to the city's history, and with vision it could be retooled to host high school baseball games, soccer games or even track meets. Paterson's schoolchildren, who have limited athletic facility and park space available to them, could also benefit from a Hinchliffe resurgence. Estimates are that it could take as much as $15 million to fully renovate the stadium, but a $1 million stabilization effort would certainly be a good place to start.

Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-Paterson, a leading advocate for establishment of the national park in Paterson, has long argued for the inclusion of Hinchliffe within the park's boundaries. Though under pending legislation the park service wouldn't be burdened with the restoration, Pascrell believes that "the stewardship of the National Park Service will provide certainty about Hinchliffe's future, facilitating fundraising efforts."

In the end, the people of Paterson and the greater North Jersey area are the ones who are going to have to put their shoulders together and work to save Hinchliffe Stadium and to make it viable again. There's no reason it can't happen, but any Hinchliffe revival needs to start soon, because the old park as it now stands is not going to last many more winters.